Extended Length of Hospital Stay for Surgical and Medical Patients – Insights from Hospital and Psychosocial Predictors

Abstract

Ensuring that patients do not overstay the expected Length of Stay (LOS) in the hospital is a recognized indicator of the quality of care received and helps to reduce the cost of healthcare. Moreover, it is a key factor in value-based care models. This study identifies the predictors of Extended Length of Hospital Stay (ELOHS) for surgical and medical patients to include LOS (>20 days), Age (> 40 years), Hour to Surgery (HTS) – within 4 hours of admission, zero and one Rapid Response Team (RRT) calls, Average Operating Room Time (AORT) of 0 – 120 minutes and one Theatre Session (TS). Apart from the “ear, nose, mouth & throat”, “kidney and urinary tract”, “circulatory system”, “nervous system” and “digestive system” Major Diagnostic Categories (MDCs), other considered MDCs have significant differences in the Classification of Hospital Acquired Diagnoses (CHAD) rate of ELOHS and Normal Length of Hospital Stay (NLOHS) patients. It is expected that the early consideration of ELOHS predictors will be vital in improving patients’ outcomes in the hospital.